


Come Home With Me, Jude

by HighLadyOfRomanceAndAngst



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighLadyOfRomanceAndAngst/pseuds/HighLadyOfRomanceAndAngst
Summary: One month after her banishment, Jude is on a date with a boy from the mortal world. This boy has offered Jude his heart, but in the midst of it all, Cardan pays a surprise visit. The High King of Elfhame finds his Queen in love with another.
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

Jude Durate, High Queen of Elfhame, Wife to Cardan Greenbriar, was on her seventh date with a human boy. The boy was sweet, the complete opposite of the folk in Faerie. The kind of boy you fell for slowly over time until you looked at him one day and realized that you were wholly and utterly in love with him. 

Jude was terrified of him. Vivi had set them up, wanting Jude to heal from the scars of Faerie, and during the month and a half she’d been in the mortal lands, she learned what people meant when they said your heart could be divided in two. Though she loved Cardan, he seemed like a dream, like she could never truly have him. Lucas was more real, more than a daydream. 

Attempting to be discreet, Jude slanted her eyes to study the boy walking next to her, chattering on about mundane things. He was averagely tall with sandy blonde hair and striking emerald eyes. He looked nothing like Cardan. In her eyes, that was all that mattered. He was a distraction, a bit of fun during her banishment. After all, her  _ delightful  _ husband was surely doing the same.

They were walking along the pier near a beach Jude had discovered during the month away from Faerie. It was a quiet spot, away from the worrying gaze of Vivi. The boy, Lucas, suddenly smiled at her shyly, a flush reddening his cheeks to a brilliant flame. “Would it be okay if I held your hand?”

Jude’s heart hammered in her chest, wondering what she was getting herself into. If she said no, his disappointment would simmer awkwardly between them. If she said yes… would it be a betrayal to her vows? She swallowed the phlegm in her throat, trying to shove away all thoughts of what this small gesture meant. Without giving herself a moment to second guess what she was doing, Jude forced her lips to upturn at the corners, as though she was pleased he asked. “I would like nothing more.” She stretched out her hand and laced his fingers with hers, secretly enjoying the feel of his smooth palm against her calloused one. Lucas’s eyes widened imperceptibly at her move. 

Wonderment filling his gaze, Lucas studied her scarred palm. “Where did you get this scar from?” He traced the scar she had received when she pledged her loyalty to Dain with reverence.

What was she to tell him? She couldn’t very well say that she had cut open her own palm in order to gain the protection of the Prince of Elfhame. He would think her mad, and then who knows what would happen to her. She would have to lie, as she did about most things. Her mortal ability to skirt around the truth came in handy once more. “Childhood accident. You know how kids are. Magnets for disaster!”

Lucas chuckled, the fading light of the sun hitting the golden flecks of his eyes as he turned his head towards her. “I know exactly what you mean!” His fingers danced over her scar lightly, lovingly while his other hand traced circles in the sand. “When I was six years old, and learning how to ride a bike, I lost control and crashed right into a big old maple tree! Cut open my arm horribly. My grandma almost had a heart attack with the amount of blood that was on me.” At the mention of his grandma, his face took on a softened look, his full lips fondly turning up as he reminisced on the past. 

“Both of us are covered in scars, as the two accident-prone children we were.” She was deflecting, she knew, from the truth. But it was the only way to keep him safe from her past. 

From the corner of her eye, Jude saw a Golden Retriever huddled up against a building, with the faint shimmer of wings hovering in her peripheral vision. Jude’s pace slowed down as the pixie tormenting the dog smirked at her, taunting her. Even now, far away from Court, her past continued to haunt her, reminding her how she did not fit into the mortal world. She would never be safe here.

Lucas, oblivious to the pixie and her racing thoughts, pointed out a landmark on the far side of the coast. “That lighthouse over there is where I lost my first tooth. I was so excited by the ships, I wiggled my loose tooth a little too hard. Blood gushed all over me, staining my favorite shirt. My parents fussed over me for days. I even had the tooth fairy visit me for the first time. Found a whole dollar underneath my pillow the next morning.”

The tooth fairy. Such a human tradition. Jude had never experienced it, as her parents had been murdered before her teeth fell out. 

A few people moved around the two of them on the sidewalk, not wanting to interfere with the moment they were having. Jude, not aware they would be seen by anybody, blushed fiercely. She looked away from the fond looks people threw her way and pulled Lucas to a stop. She dragged him over to the sand, far away from the pixie, and made to sit down. Mercifully, he didn’t question it. “What are your parents like?” She asked, trying, and failing, to calm her nerves.

“They were wonderful people from what I can remember. Every Saturday night they took me to the lighthouse to look at the ships docking in the harbor. My father worked there and rarely left his post. The sea called to him, as it does to me.” Ships now were now pulling in, guided by the beam of light pouring out from the top of the lighthouse. Lucas watched the boats, a fascinated look taking over his features.

As the sun set over the horizon, glowing softly with pinks, purples, and oranges, gulls crying out in the distance, waves crashing against the beach, Jude felt a sense of peace settle over her, despite the pixie. With Lucas, it was easy to feel safe, to let her mind drift away. In another life, she pictured herself with him. Forcing the words out around the memories of Cardan, she softly asked, “Have your parents died?”

With a rueful smile, Lucas looked up at the sky watching the seagulls circle overhead, his eyes far away. “Yeah. They died in a fire when I was eight. My grandparents raised me after that. It was hard to accept that they were gone for a while. I couldn’t even go to the lighthouse without thinking of them, of having the memories crash over me like the waves against the shore.” He was becoming detached, distant.

Jude did something she never expected herself to do. Gently, she took his hand out of hers, pulling his face towards her, so that they were eye to eye. “My parents died when I was seven. I guess we’re both orphans. I was raised by an… uncle after that with my two sisters. You’re not alone. Orphans always find each other, searching for a home in one another, hoping they will finally belong somewhere.”

The sea rocked against the sand, splashing the two of them with little droplets. Neither noticed, too lost in the depthless ache they felt deep in their chests. 

Reaching out a shaky hand, Lucas brushed away a stray strand of hair that was stuck against her cheek. “I think I’ve found my home.”

Knowing she was already damned, Jude leaned forward and drew Lucas into her arms, resting her chin on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. He smelled of cedar, the sea, with faint undercurrents of spices. She shut her eyes, relishing the feel of safety in his arms.

His breath tickled her ear as he moved towards her. “What was your childhood like? You never talk about it.” Immediately she stiffened, memories flashing by of a gentry member biting off the tip of her ring finger, another yanking her out from under a table at a revel, and being tormented and glamoured, wearing rowan berries everywhere to avoid her mortality betraying her.

A childhood that was no childhood at all. 

“It was a childhood like no other,” she choked out. 

He pulled back, grasping her forearms and looking into her eyes, brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry if I hit a sore subject, I only wish to know you more.”

Before she could answer she was hit with the scent of roses, citrus, and the overwhelming smell of wine. There was only one being with that aroma that she knew. Cardan.

Sure enough, there he glided behind her on the sand, his black eyes boring into her, burning her like a brand. His tail peeked out from his trousers, gently swaying in the wind. A cruel grin bedecked his face, as he narrowed in on the boy who held her in his arms. 

“Jude?” Lucas asked, drawing her gaze away from her husband. Gods. Her husband. The King of Elfhame was here. In the mortal lands. And here she was, on a date.

“Sorry, I-I think I’m getting tired.” Behind Lucas’s back, Cardan snickered.

Lucas nodded, eyes roving over her too-bright eyes, the fake smile adorning her lips. “Before we turn in, I have something for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Just a moment.” Reaching in the back pocket of his pants, Lucas drew out a necklace with a sterling silver ring hung on the chain. The ring twisted around a small pearl, edged with small gems placed around the base. The ring was simple, beautiful. Perfect. 

She was speechless. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” But just as she said it, the raven-haired boy from her past crept into her vision, patiently waiting for her to go over to him. Lucas didn’t notice, too lost in Jude to see anything beyond. 

Lucas gently swung the necklace around Jude’s throat, carefully securing the latch. He lifted up the hair that was trapped by the chain. Jude smiled softly at the gift, and at the boy who had given it to her without a second thought. She attempted to block out Cardan so she could remember this moment without the stain of Faerie. “I found the pearl when I was out at sea a few weeks ago, and I thought of you. I made it myself last night. It’s a promise necklace since I didn’t know what size ring you wore. A promise that one day, we’ll be married.”

Jude’s smile slipped off her face. “Marriage?” Unbeknownst to him, she was already married to another, her  _ heart  _ belonged to another. In another life, perhaps, this could have worked, but things being the way they were, it wouldn’t last. She had duties and promises to fulfill.

Behind them, Cardan had gone stone-still, his tail twitching back and forth. A strange light filled his eyes, the golden ring around his pupil disappearing, his mouth set in a hard line. It was an odd sight to see. Cardan standing on the sand on a mortal beach with his extravagant clothing studded with gems and jewels, his crown perched haphazardly on his head. Of course, he brought his crown, as though he was reminding Jude of who he was. If any mortals noticed him, they didn’t let on. He must have been glamoured, for everyone casually flowed around him as though he wasn’t even there.

Lucas twisted around to see why Jude kept looking over his shoulder, and found nothing, for he couldn’t see the ghost from her past. “What do you keep looking at? Have I moved too fast?” He turned to look at her once more, a heartbreaking expression on his face. The confusion hurt Jude as she could never tell him the truth. Never let him know who she really was, and where she had come from.

“Just-Just a dog. I like dogs, that’s all.”

Carefully Lucas reached for her forearms and pulled her towards him until they were mere feet apart. Cardan moved closer.

“Jude. I’m sorry if I’ve startled you with my declarations. It’s just that I know you’re what I want. I know I’ve only known you for a little over a month, but with each passing day I fall in love with you a little bit more. Your wit, your intellect, your dimples, that look you get when you think no one is looking, when you look happy and relaxed, your guard let down. I love you, Jude. If you don’t feel as strongly as me, I understand, I do. I’m prepared to wait a thousand years.” He nestled his face into her neck, his sandy hair tickling her skin.

Unconsciously she began to run her fingers through his soft hair, wondering if he could feel her racing heart. “Lucas-” She started, about to break his heart, to let him down easy, but suddenly, he jerked under her touch, as if he were a puppet and a puppet master had pulled his strings.

He pulled back as if in a trance, his limbs rigid, rose to his full height and began to walk away. Jude scrambled to her feet and attempted to pull him around. Oblivious to her, he kept marching forwards towards Cardan, never looking back. She hurried in front of him, to see his face. A glazed look had overtaken his features, a blissful expression on his peaceful face. “Lucas?”

There was no answer, no matter how hard she willed him to stop, no matter how many times she shouted his name, there was nothing. No sign of the boy who had given her his heart. So, defeated, she stopped trying to get him to halt and followed him towards the boy who had shattered her life.

Cardan was smirking at her, his hands placed casually in his pockets. “Hello, my darling Jude. How are the mortal lands treating you?” He purred, as soon as Jude was within range. He held out his arms to her, wanting to draw her into a hug, but she crossed her arms, unwilling to give him what he desired.

When she saw Cardan again, she thought she’d be overjoyed, to leap at the chance to go back. But she was angry. So unbelievably angry she wanted to hurt him as he had hurt her. “After banishing me and betraying my trust, you ask how I am? You show up, unannounced, mind you, and expect me to embrace you with open arms? No. I shall not. And you glamoured my date.” Jude frowned, her lips curling downwards, looking at Lucas’s dazed expression next to the High King of Elfhame.

He dropped his arms, a wounded expression on his face. “I come in peace, to offer you a chance to return. I thought after all my letters, you would understand my regret and how much I wish to see you home.”

Letters? There had been nothing but silence. “Is this another one of your tricks? To get to me to sympathize with you? I never received anything. And Faerie is not my home. I am mortal, as I am so often reminded, and replaceable. I have no home, not anymore, not after you banished me. I cannot return.”

Again, the small smile danced across his lips, as if this were a game. “Have I finally outwitted you, Jude Durate, master of tricks and wit?”

“What are you talking about?” The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. She had forgotten how he made her feel. Every touch, every look was as though a fire was exploding in her heart. Passion and desire warred over her common sense until she had given in to the whims of her deepest wants. Look how that had turned out.

Love was a fickle thing. It made you lose all sense until you were a love-stricken fool, incapable of seeing the ugly truth, wanting to believe the best of your partner. Love had turned her into the Court Jester. Playing tricks for them all until she had lost her balance and everything came crashing down around her while everyone laughed. A cascade of disaster.

Cardan took a step closer until they were sharing breath, every feeling she had forced down deep rose up again at the close proximity they were in. Cautiously, as if he didn’t want to startle her, he gently ran a finger down his face. “You could have returned any time you wanted.  _ Until and unless she is pardoned by the crown, let her not step one foot in Faerie or forfeit her life _ . Are you not Faerie’s Queen? Are you not my wife?”

Jude felt the world closing in on her as she realized just what this meant. She could have pardoned herself. She was a fool, blinded by her wounded feelings. “Wife in name only. Who banishes their wife the day after they are married? You could have warned me, at least. Instead, you let me go off into the mortal world, thinking I’d never see you again. I thought I knew better than to get involved with a Faerie, a King at that.”  
Now Cardan turned his attention to Lucas, still looking for all the world a love-sick puppy. “Is this mortal the better option?” Cardan’s lip curled. “A mortal who doesn’t even have decent fashion sense.” Cardan eyed Lucas’s clothes seriously as if his very existence was an affront to everything Cardan stood for.

“Leave him alone. He didn’t do anything except getting mixed up with the wrong person.”

Cardan roughly got hold of Lucas’s shirt and pulled him close in an intimate embrace. “Faerie leaves scars to everyone who passes through. You cannot pass through the fire unburned. So he shall suffer the consequences of trying to marry my wife.”

“Cardan what are you-” Faster than she could follow, faster than she knew he could move, he whipped out a knife from the folds of his tunic and slashed Lucas’s forearm, cutting through fabric - with her own blade for that matter. Lucas didn’t even flinch, the glamour erasing any emotion he felt.

Cardan released the boy, his chest heaving, blade dripping in blood, staining the golden flecks of sand a brilliant red.

She lunged forwards trying to sop up the blood with the edge of her dress that had begun to drip down through the torn folds of his shirt. The only thing she accomplished was soaking the blood into her clothes and skin. 

“Now the remnants of Faerie will forever be etched upon his skin. He’ll always possess the fear of the land and the retaliation he’ll receive if he decides to chase after you again.” He looked proud of himself, as though he did something worthy or noble. “Come back with me, Jude. Let us return, as King and Queen, as Husband and Wife.” 

How dare Cardan believe he had the right to mark a mortal like so, and expect her to be okay with it? Expect her to return to him with open arms. “I will only return with you if you promise to leave Lucas alone. No assassin’s sent after him, no poison in his cup. No harm ever to come to him.” Her heart bled for the boy who had done nothing wrong other than fall in love with the wrong person.

Cardan’s tail twitched back and forth as he contemplated her offer. “If that is what you wish, I shall grant it.” He waved his hand and Lucas lumbered away, arm still bleeding profusely.

They watched the boy stumble his way back to his home, listened to the shrieks that accompanied his arrival. Jude hated it. Hated that she was the reason for his pain. 

“You have me back, but I swear to you I will hate you until I die for what you have done. You will never have me as you once did. I’ll be your Wife and Queen in name only.”

“I brought your sword, Nightfell, back from Vivi.” He held out the gleaming blade, as some sort of peace offering. Blood still dripped from the metal. She took it, only because the sword gave her comfort.

“Thank you,” she replied curtly. “Take me back, Cardan.”

“If that is what you wish.”

Jude reached up and fingered the necklace that lay on her collarbone, comforted by the pearl that slid smoothly through her fingers. 

When they reached the bright green grass of Faerie, Jude was welcomed back with open arms. She smiled politely, accepted the congratulations, but felt an emptiness, as though she was missing a limb.

Faerie would never be her home again, nor would the Mortal Lands. She had been cursed to be a wanderer, never to have a place to feel safe. Once she had thought it was Cardan, but she was wrong. She was alone, just as she always was.

_ Cardan _

As Cardan took hold of Jude’s arm to transport her back to Faerie, he wondered if he had done the right thing by glamouring her date and cutting him on the arm with Jude’s blade. He had thought she’d be proud of what he did, as she often resorted to more violent methods at Court. Perhaps he made an error, acted too rashly. Cardan did not know how he could make it up to her. 

Although he had achieved his goal of bringing Jude home, the cost had been too high. Whatever love had been between them, was now squandered into the dirt, crushed beneath his crown. If he had simply been Cardan, and not Cardan, High King of Elfhame, would she still hate him as fiercely as she did? Was it the crown that made him act so impulsively? Or was it because he couldn’t bear to see Jude with someone else?

The awful feeling of jealousy was like a cancer, infecting his mind until he knew nothing else. All he saw was a boy courting his love, his Jude, and he had never wanted to kill a mortal so much before. He once swore to himself he would never spill blood by his own hand, but for Jude, he would do anything.

Yet now, as they were back at Court, Cardan noticed the distance now on Jude’s face as Oriana welcomed Jude back. Noticed how she kept touching the necklace at her throat.

When Jude looked at him, it was with a cold emptiness, a reserved impasse. He loved her still, but it seemed as though they were enemies once again.

Jude Durate, his wife, his Queen, hated him. He did not know if they could come back from it.


	2. I Would Do Anything For You, Jude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Jude's return, Cardan tries to win back her love. He must prove himself to her that he has changed.

Cardan

Day 1

With Jude’s return, Cardan had issued a revel be thrown in honor of their Queen. The folk had no objections, as they never passed up an opportunity to drink and party.

However, though his Jude had returned with him to Faerie, he had left bloodshed and heartbreak in his wake in his quest to bring her home. The consequences of his actions had not been worth what he had done to his love, who was his no longer. 

Cardan studied Jude on the throne next to his, noting the blank stare, and rigidity in her limbs. One would almost think she was a statue if she didn’t blink from time to time. Cardan was worried this state of being was permanent. There was no fire, no wicked triumph flickering through her stance. A blank nothingness now sat where his lively Jude had once resided. “Jude, darling, would you like to dance?” He’d asked her many things before, and she hadn’t responded, but perhaps this time…

He leaned forward and rested his fingers under his chin in mild contemplation. Jude’s chest slowly inhaled and exhaled, her stare fixed straight ahead on the revel that celebrated without the two of them. The briefest dance of pain shot across her brown eyes before that too vanished and was replaced by a vacant expression that she so often donned.

Cardan should give her space, after all, she did lose her mortal love due to his own pride. If only he had just listened to her and explained himself. Even given her an egregious declaration of love, perhaps things would be different. 

Then, just as he was about to resume his grumpy posture on the throne, she mechanically turned her head and whispered, “Not with you. Not again.” For a moment her hand came up and fingered the pearl necklace around her throat before once again facing the revel, as though she hadn’t just knocked the wind out of him.

Cardan didn’t quite know what to do. He was a terrible husband.

The revel shouted and danced and drank while he sunk further into his sorrows with each passing minute. Jude hated him, and he did not know how to live with that realization. A straggler stumbling past offered him a cup of wine, and he heartily gulped it down, hoping to drown out his thoughts.

Day 2

With a light knock, Cardan announced his arrival at Jude’s doors. She had been reinstated into her old chambers when she’d been seneschal, keeping the door locked at all times. The human heart was a fickle thing, yet he was sure it could be persuaded with an astounding declaration. Or was he the fool for not understanding the emotions of his love? 

As if to spare him from his conflicting thoughts, the door slowly creaked open, revealing Jude within. Dark circles coated the underside of her red eyes, indicating she hadn’t slept one bit. Despite her appearance, however, she was dressed in a high neck onyx dress. Lace appliques adorned the bodice and the sleeves of the gown. The only thing she needed now was a veil, and she’d be complete for a funeral. “What do you want?” Her voice was low, cold. 

He was not wanted here, that much he knew. He brought his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat. “I wanted to invite you on a stroll about the castle. Doing so day after day by myself is quite lonesome, wouldn’t you agree?”

The response he received was a spark of fire lighting her features, her gaze burning through him. It was almost like a warning that if he stepped any closer to the flames, he’d get burned by the heat. “It’s almost as lonesome as spending your entire life alone, wouldn’t you agree? Without a lover, life seems a bit empty, yes?”

He wasn’t stupid enough to suggest that they were lovers, and she needn’t look any farther for such things. It was his fault she was in this state of mind. “Of course. Perhaps we could share a meal later together if you are not up for a walk.”

“Perhaps.” The door proceeded to shut in his face, no definite answer given to him. Cardan sank down to the floor and rested his head against the wooden paneling. He was pathetic. He could run Faerie just fine, but when it came to Jude, he was lost. Maybe it would just be better for him to sit and wait outside her room until they were to eat. 

Just for a few minutes, he would wait. But he was awfully tired after getting no sleep last night. He would shut his eyes for a moment and then get back to work. A few minutes.... that’s all.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was startled awake when he seemed to fall backward for no apparent reason. The reason became clear as he lay on the floor of Jude’s room, the door clearly having been opened by her. Her mouth was open in an o shape, the most emotion he’d seen from her in days. He grinned ridiculously at her, causing the blank mask to once again fall into place. “You look beautiful,” he said, admiring the way the sun hit her eyes. They were a caramel glow against her smooth skin. 

“So I’ve been told.”

Quickly he slid into a standing position, casually leaning against the doorframe, acting as though he hadn’t fallen asleep outside her door. He had no idea how long he’d been out, and he felt too embarrassed to ask. “My dearest, Jude, I beseech you to accompany me to the dining hall.” For good measure, he sinuously bowed, smirking at her beneath lowered brows.

She released her grip on the door and backed away a few steps. “It’s only two in the afternoon.” 

“Ah....so it is.” This meant he had been sleeping for… four hours. Were his cheeks burning? He could feel a blush creeping up his face at the realization he’d fallen asleep outside his wife’s door for hours. What his advisors must think of the king who can’t stay away from his love. 

“Were you waiting outside my door this entire time?”

His eyes darted around the room, not wanting to meet her fierce gaze. “No. I-I got a lot of work done today. I didn’t fall asleep outside your door, no.”

Her forehead creased as she looked at him in confusion. “I didn’t say you fell asleep… did you?”

He checked his wrist, exclaiming, “Oh, look at the time, I have  _ important things  _ to do you know! The High King has time for no one.” She still looked so utterly bewildered that he blurted out, “Except you, of course, I’ll always make time for you. Good night!” And with that, he bolted out the door, leaving a trail of embarrassment behind him. “Idiot,” he murmured under his breath.

He walked very fast to his room after that, to avoid another awkward encounter. He didn’t trust himself to spout coherent thoughts at the moment.

Day 7

One week since Jude had returned with him to Faerie, and she still wore nothing other than black and gray, the colors of mourning. Was she mourning for the life she could have had, or for the boy who offered her his heart? Cardan could never give her safety and security as the boy could. There was nothing similar between the two of them, and Cardan was quite jealous over that.

He cut into his food a bit more savagely. “Are you planning to scowl like that all evening, your majesty?” At the sound of Nicasia’s voice cutting through the hall, he whipped his head into the air. Why was she here? She was interrupting a wonderful meal between him and Jude, even though they were seated on opposite ends of the table, and Jude hadn’t responded to him once. 

Nicasia’s strut through the wide, double doors radiated confidence, which is why Cardan was surprised when she practically fell on him. Her slim fingers roved against the fabric on his shoulders, inching her way up towards his face. “What are you doing here, Nicasia,” Cardan bit out, annoyed at her presence. 

She pouted, her eyes glittering with disappointment. “Is that any way to greet an old friend, Cardan?” Cardan took a page out of Jude’s book and stared at her blankly. Nicasia rolled her eyes and elegantly dropped into the chair on his right-hand side. As if she was invited. As if she was wanted here. “I was tasked by the Undersea to bring the peace treaty.” 

“Peace treaty?” He raised a brow, his gaze darting to Jude. The way she was looking at Nicasia, one would think she was trying to singe her where she sat. Was Jude… jealous?

Nicasia jabbered on and on, but Cardan was exhilarated by this thought. He couldn’t even focus on the conversation. He cut Nicasia off with a hand and rose to his feet. The legs of the chair scraped back menacingly in the silence that now echoed in the room. “Send the paperwork up to my chambers, I’ll sign what is necessary.” He ignored her sputters and threats, focusing on Jude.

Her face betrayed nothing, but Cardan was sure he didn’t mistake the look she had given Nicasia. He strode by her chair, letting his tail wrap around her arm that was under the table. She inhaled imperceptibly. 

Cardan smirked as he exited the room. 

Day 30

Though Cardan had signed a peace treaty with the Undersea kingdom, they still felt the need to declare an all-out war between land and sea if Jude wasn’t handed over to them. It seems as though Nicasia had whispered a few twisted statements to her mother. Both of the women believed they were entitled to Cardan’s right to rule.  _ Humans can’t be the High Queen _ , Nicasia had sneered.

Cardan had brushed her off, but maybe he shouldn’t have. Things had been going so well with Jude, that he had ignored Nicasia’s attempts at flirting. All he seemed to make were mistakes these days.

He sighed as yet another hurricane swirled and churned just on the borders between their kingdoms. For days the Undersea had been taunting them all with thinly veiled threats. If by the end of the week, Jude still resided within the castle, their land would be destroyed. Queen Orlagh did not take well to a human queen on the throne. 

Muttering under his breath, he shoved himself out of his chair and stalked out of his room to do something incredibly stupid.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cardan softly knocked on Jude’s door, waiting for the telltale sound of her feet pattering against the ground. When the door swung open, Cardan was surprised that she wasn’t wearing her mourning clothes anymore. Instead, she wore a royal blue tunic, and dark pants over soft, leather boots. The pearl necklace still lingered at her throat, though. She looked to him with expectant eyes. “Are you here because of what the Undersea is demanding?”

He fidgeted with his hand. The words were practically jumping off his lips, words he had kept silent for so long. “Yes I-”

“I’ll go. I’ll do what Queen Orlagh wants.” 

Needless to say, Cardan didn’t expect that answer. “Actually, I was going to say that I was about to head to the shore to try and work things out without you there.”

She shook her mane of curly hair, her lips downturned. “I’m the reason Orlagh and Nicasia are threatening to turn Faerie into a landslide. It’s only fair I offer myself up.”

Cardan dared a step into her room, and when she didn’t object, he took another until they were close enough to kiss. But Cardan merely grasped her hands and held them in his own. “My darling, you are the light of my life, and I admire your courage, but you are not to face the Undersea again.” The way Jude had been after coming back from being in their clutches for a month was not something he wanted to relive. “I wanted to tell you something before I left.”

“What is it?”

He took a breath, preparing himself for rejection. “No matter what has happened between us these last few months, I love you more than the moon loves the sun, more than the stars love the sky. You are my one true love, and I never want you to believe otherwise.”

A shocked expression overtook her, her grip going slack. Cardan was sure this was a sign of rejection and quickly fled to the Undersea, where he planned to offer himself in her stead. It was the only way. 

Day 31

After offering himself to Queen Orlagh and being laughed off, he had returned to the castle, dejected, but with a plan. He had requested the queen meet with him again for a different negotiation, and she had begrudgingly agreed. This time, he would bring Jude with him, but he was the High King of Elfhame. The land responded to him and his will. He would either bring down the entire Undersea, or die trying.

If he died, it was of no consequence to him as long as his Jude was safe. As long as Jude made it out alive, his quest would be a success. She had slowly opened up to him as the weeks had passed. She now kept her door open for Cardan at all times. 

As the pair of them exited the castle together, hand in hand, Cardan felt an exuberant burst of joy exploding in his heart. “What are you planning to offer the Undersea?” Jude asked, turning towards him, with an adorable scrunch to her forehead.

“What they desire the most.” Bloodshed.

“I know you tried to barter for yourself to be their prisoner instead of me. You know I can handle myself against them, I don’t need you to protect me against the world.”

He tried a grin, and immediately felt it slide it off his face. Today wasn’t the day for side smirks and debauchery. “I am fully aware of what you are capable of, Jude. But do you not think for a second that I am protecting my heart? It may be cracked, and in shambles, yet you carry it. I do not want to lose it quite so soon.”

“Cardan-” Jude was cut off as the sandy border of the Undersea came into view. Queen Orlagh and Nicasia hovered just below the surface.

“How sweet, the faerie confessing his love to the mortal.” Nicasia sneered, snickering behind her hands. 

“What have you come to offer us this time, Cardan, High King of Elfhame.” Orlagh ignored her daughter and examined Cardan with suspicion coating her features. It was clear that there was no trust between either parties. 

Cardan released his hand from Jude’s, feeling the vibrations of the land, along with the sea. He took a breath and moved his hand through the air, drawing up his connection. It felt like a small tingling sensation at first, but gradually pinpricks of light punctured the air, drawn to his touch. His gaze landed on Nicasia who had drawn herself up out of the water, legs replacing her tail.

Cardan smirked, and released the tension building up in his chest. Immediately Nicasia was pulled against a tree, and held in a lover’s embrace by the branches. She shrieked and yelled for Orlagh. “I offer you your daughter unharmed if you do not concede to my rule. I do not wish to be a tyrant, but I will become one if you do not let my chain of succession be. I have chosen Jude, and you will not interfere with my affairs again.” To prove his point, the branches squeezed Nicasia tighter. 

Torn between saving her successor, and winning this fight, Orlagh said, “You are not the green boy everyone says, your majesty. It seems you do have a skill set worth keeping an eye on. But,” she smiled, “Humans have no right to this land. That much I will never admit.”

“And you are not the mighty Queen everyone believes you to be. You are no more than a power hungry creature who grapples for a position that is slipping out of your grasp.”

Jude took a small step forward. “Human I may be, but you were the arrogant one who did not deign to check if I was able to be glamoured. You are the reason I was banished in the first place. I accept your right to rule, as much as you accept mine.” Jude’s chin jutted out in a show of confidence. There was nothing but pure, unrelenting rage raging in the depths of her eyes. She wanted revenge and she was about to explode. 

Orlagh glanced between the three of them, and noticed how Jude’s hand curled into a fist. Noticed how the land began to respond to her movements. Noticed how a boulder was suddenly rocketing its way towards the tree where Nicasia was encased. “I concede! I accept your right to rule. Just give me back my daughter unharmed.”

Cardan and Jude smiled, grinning with their teeth. Nicasia was released, the branches of the tree slithering back to its normal position. The bounder stopped its descent inches from wreaking havoc upon the bark. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Orlagh’s jaw clenched. “Leave my daughter alone, and I will leave your… wife unharmed.”

“I would love nothing more.”

Nicasia stumbled back into the water, throwing reproachful looks our way. 

But it mattered not to me, not as Jude looked at me, truly looked at me, and grinned. Her eyes softly shone, in a way that they hadn’t done in quite some time.

Day 65

Two months after Jude’s return and she no longer was the silent piece of marble she was when she first arrived back in Elfhame. The pair of them had shared the same bed for the first time in a long time. Her scent of citrus and oak trees imprinted itself into the sheets.

Nothing had happened last night, save for the intimacy of being close. Yet somehow they had ended up in each other’s arms sometime during the night. Her warmth seeped into his clothes, creating a bubble of security around the two of them. He ran a slow, steady hand through her thick mane of hair. Her lids remain firmly shut, but he could see her eyes rapidly moving. Carefully so not to disturb her, Cardan traced a light finger across her smooth skin.

He  _ craved  _ touch, and intimacy with her as he had never had with anyone before. He’d had lovers in the past, but with Jude, he wanted everything. He couldn’t contain his selfish desires, wanting her all to himself. He leaned forward and delicately pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

Before he could move away, she cracked open an eye and took him in. He didn’t dare move, not as she looked very intently into his face. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he breathed.

For a few moments, Jude didn’t say anything, as she took him in. Her eyes were still sleepy, and her lips upturned in a small smile. Cardan ran a hand across her bare arms, while she shivered, goosebumps rising across her flesh. “If I’m waking up next to you, I don’t mind being woken.” 

Cardan was dumbstruck by how alluring her morning voice was. She was so unlike the sharp queen in moments of wakefulness. She was… gorgeous. Her sleep mussed hair, and… Cardan blushed as he realized she was wearing one of his shirts. He had passed out before her, so he didn’t know she had put it on. “You’re wearing my clothes,” he stammered out. He didn’t know how to react. His inner heart flared up with desire, as he realized what this meant. She was no longer keeping him at a distance. As if they were the most natural movements in the world, he shifted his weight so he was on top of her.

His arms wrapped around her middle, while his head nestled between her shoulder blades and neck. He hardly dared a breath, as Jude said, “I missed you, Cardan. Even when I hated you, I wanted you.” His breath caught in his throat, he wasn’t prepared for such an open and honest statement. “I’m yours, I always have been. Despite what occurred in the mortal world, my guilty heart still desires you.”

His tail wrapped around her ankle and pulled her closer as if she might disappear at any moment. “I beseech you to forgive me for all the wrongs I have committed in your name.”

“All is well, you were forgiven long ago. I feel immense guilt, but I can’t stay away from you any longer, Cardan. You almost sacrificed yourself for me, how can I be angry with you when you would give up everything for me?”

He could feel her heartbeat thundering under her skin. “How could I not wish to give up everything, if it meant that you would be happy? My darling Jude, I desperately missed you. I was lost when you gone. You are the light that guides me through life. When you were angry with me, I did not know what to do. I will never make that mistake again.”

Her hand came up and brushed down the side of his face with reverence. “I did not like being angry with you, either. Let’s agree to never do such foolish things again.”

“Never again.”

In the silence that accompanied their shared bond, Jude sighed in content. “I love you, Cardan.”

Tears pricked Cardan’s eyes as he shifted a few inches. She really truly loved him, the monster that destroyed her life. His voice broke as he whispered, “I love you too, Jude. More than anything I ever have before.”

The High King and Queen of Elfhame stayed clutching one another, bonded by their love for one another, vowing to never part again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely readers! Thank you for reading this!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you! You are absolutely lovely, have a good day :)


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